Is a gap in roof sheathing at the ridge okay before shingling?
Roof sheathing gaps can cause thermal expansion issues and shingle telegraphing where the decking seam shows through once warmed up. Leaving these gaps unclosed risks damaging the life of the roof over time, though fixes like ripping a piece of CDX plywood on a table saw are sometimes considered.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1leaving the gap as is
- 2filling the gap with cdx ripped on a table saw
- 3running ridge vent mesh
- 4cutting back the sheathing further for a ridge vent
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Extended my eaves out a few inches and now have a funky seam at my ridge, is this gap acceptable before shingling? If not how should I close the gap, just rip some cdx on my table saw?”source ↗
“New roof was finished last week. Just noticed today that I seem to be getting significantly thermal expansion and shingles telegraphing the decking gap underneath? Once it cools down, it’s not visible, but it can’t be good for the life of the roof?”source ↗